This week (7-13 September) is Organ Donation Week, which is led by the NHS Blood and Transplant Service (NHSBT).
NHSBT provides a blood and transplantation service to the NHS, looking after blood donation services in England and transplant services across the UK. This includes managing the donation, storage and transplantation of blood, organs, tissues, bone marrow and stem cells, and researching new treatments and processes.
They manage the NHS Organ Donor Register and National Transplant Register and through this, they match donors to people who are waiting for a transplant.
If you do want to be an organ donor, you can register to be a donor on the NHS Organ Donor Register. If you do not want to be an organ donor, you can opt out by registering a ‘refuse to donate’ decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. If you have already registered your decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register and your decision remains the same, you should tell your family what you want. If you have already registered, but want to change your recorded decision, you can do this simply at any time by completing the ‘amend your details’ form online.
From 20 May 2020, all adults in England will be considered to have agreed to be an organ and tissue donor when they die unless they recorded a decision not to donate or are in one of the excluded groups (see ‘Who will this change affect?’). This is commonly referred to as an ‘opt out’ system. This means that if you have not confirmed whether you want to be an organ donor – either by recording a decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register or by speaking to friends or family – it will be considered that you agree to donate your organs when you die.
Organ donation remains an act of great generosity. You still have the right to choose whether or not to be an organ donor. Your family will still be consulted about donating your organs when you die. You can register to become an organ donor.
Our hospital aims to support national health campaigns like this regularly, sign up to our monthly newsletter to stay up to date on our latest health and hospital news.
Published on 07 September 2020